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The Price of a Period
Through government and societal perceptions, homeless women face a lack of access to feminine hygiene products and care.
By: Ruby Virchow, Audrey Garces, & Sam Chavarria
"What would happen if, magically, men could menstruate and women could not? Menstruation would become enviable, worthy, masculine: Men would brag about how long and how much. Congress would fund a National Institute of Dysmenorrhea to help stamp out monthly discomforts. Sanitary supplies would be federally funded and free."
- Gloria Steinem
Part I
THE AVERAGE WOMAN ENDURES 456 PERIODS BETWEEN THE AGES OF 13 UNTIL 51. THAT IS ROUGHLY ABOUT 6.25 YEARS OF A WOMAN'S LIFE. WHETHER A WOMAN IS INSURED OR NOT, AROUND $1,000 A YEAR IS SPENT ON PERIOD-RELATED PRODUCTS.
Part II
OUT OF THE STATES THAT IMPOSE TAXES ON FEMININE HYGIENE PRODUCTS, CALIFORNIA HAS THE HIGHEST STATE GENERAL SALES TAX AT 7.25%. AT $8 A BOX, TAMPONS ALONE GENERATE AROUND $20 MILLION PER YEAR TO THE CALIFORNIA ECONOMY.
Part III
IN SAN FRANCISCO ALONE, ORGANIZATIONS AND CARING LOCALS ARE PROVIDING HOMELESS WOMEN WITH THE BASIC NECESSITIES TO PROMOTE AND MAINTAIN HEALTHY FEMININE HYGIENE.
Lava Mae
Website: lavamae.org
Instagram: @LavaMae
Twitter: @LavaMae
Facebook: facebook.com/lavamae.org
Project Blossom
Website: blossom-project.org
Instagram: @womenblossomproject
Facebook: facebook.com/blossomproject
ReplenishSF
Facebook: facebook.com/replenishsf
Instagram: @replenishSF